On Saturn's Moon
by kidunot
Summary: Beth Bennet is the best pilot and instructor at the Bennet Flight School on Titan. But when their newest and most expensive ship crashes on its first flight, she has to prove herself to the arrogant insurance investigator - Darcy! Beth assumes that once the claim is approved, Darcy will be out of her life ... little does she know she hasn't seen the last of him!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I knew it wasn't my fault that the ship had crashed. Despite that, my mind kept replaying all the events of the last few hours again and again while I tried to figure out where things had gone wrong. Could I have done something to prevent the crash? I had carried out all the usual pre-flight checks and then some. I am only 21 years old but everyone working for the Bennet Flight School knew that I was the best pilot and instructor on this moon. It was just bad luck that the new RS-567 that we had bought turned out to have some problem with its software. Its operating software was supposed to be the most advanced released to date – the AI almost sentient. I'd been so excited when Dad had finally finished his checks and deemed the new ship ready for a test flight. Dad had wanted to take it up himself but had given in to my pleading and let me take the first flight with Kel co-piloting.

The first 5 minutes after we soared into the air had been exhilarating. I'd never flown anything that took to the skies so smoothly. We had planned to fly around the Kahphor mountains and over the Rule Valley before returning. Looking at the mountains looming ahead, I'd just told Kel that we would take it faster when I felt a jolt. Then things went crazy really fast. The controls wouldn't respond and the ship started plummeting downwards. The AI had taken over and I couldn't get the manual over-ride to function. I'd been in similar situations before and I'd always gone manual and managed to land the ship safely. But this new AI figured it knew things better than a human pilot and was all set to plonk us on top of a mountain. I tried everything I could to get back in control of the ship – I had a lot of experience hacking into these kinds of programs. However, the operating system for the RS-567 was programmed in an innovative manner courtesy two child prodigies. After trying without success for a few minutes, I realised that Kel was right and we had to eject before we were too close to the mountain for the escape pod to take us clear.

As we shot off in the escape pod, I thought of all the trouble Dad and gone through to buy the RS-567. All the palms he had to grease before permissions were given. All the bank managers he had to beg before loans were approved.

* * *

Dad and Anelle were the ones who found our pod and took us back to the biosphere. Kel and I were too shook up to say anything for a while. Dad never blamed me for the crash. Just listened to our account of what happened and said that it must have been a software glitch.

We informed all the authorities immediately so that the crash site could be cordoned off. Kel and I were questioned for an hour by the Biosphere 3 police. Since nothing besides the ship was damaged and no one had been hurt, the police didn't kick up much fuss. They said that their specialists would complete their inspection of the site and then they would forward their report to the insurance company. They assured us that the process on their side would be completed in a couple of days.

Dad and I sat down to work on the insurance claim forms immediately. Dad was used to dealing with the insurance company but he'd never before put in such a large claim – the RS-567 was a very expensive ship and she had been badly damaged. We had to prove beyond doubt that the accident was not caused by any action or omission on our part. We sent the preliminary communication of the claim to the Pemberley Insurers local office on Titan and then went to work on the claim forms.

Before we could get started, we were interrupted by my mother. She came in crying. "Where is my daughter? Why did no one tell me her plane crashed?" She was rather taken aback to see me sitting calmly next to Dad. After a quick inspection reassured her that I was intact and functioning, she started complaining about how Dad hadn't told her as soon as it happened and that she had to find out from Kel's mother. Dad and I glanced at each other and remained silent while she continued ranting. She soon started on my choice of career and how shocking it was to have a woman descended from a distinguished Earth family in such a lowly profession.

I controlled the urge to roll my eyes. Our family may have come from Earth unlike the majority of the first settlers who had moved here from one of the other moons of Saturn or from Ganymede, but we were far from being distinguished. Dad's family had always been pilots and Great-Grandad had jumped at the opportunity to start a flight school on Titan. Mom's family, well, she said that they were involved in government back on Earth but her grandfather had been a farmer when they first came to Titan. Being one of the few Earth families here, they quickly created the social hierarchy and thus ensured that they were on the top.

Mom got tired of talking to us after some time and recollected that she had been attending a 'viewing' and that Lydia was waiting for her. With a final admonishment to me to think about where I was headed, she left. Dad and I were used to her so we got back to work as if she had never come. Mom didn't realize that this crash could mean the end of our flight school if the insurance company denied our claim.

We always kept our documentation updated so getting copies of all the pre-sale and post-sale reports was easy. The communications between our ships and the control tower was always recorded and saved to our documentation library so we didn't have any issue getting those either and soon we had our report of the events leading up to the crash completed. We wouldn't be given access to the ship's records – only the insurance company representative would look into those.

However, the most important report would be the one showing that I was an experienced pilot. I had got my professional pilot's license at 18 which was the earliest that I could test for it. Dad hadn't wanted any cries of nepotism so I didn't give the test at our flight school but went to Earth to give it at the main test center. I'd aced the test and received the highest scores since Dad had given his own test three decades ago. Afterwards, I'd proceeded to clock in the maximum flight hours humanly possible. Since the minimum age for getting the Commander certificate was 21, I had gone to Ganymede for the test after my birthday a couple of months ago. The insurance company could argue that I'd only just received my Commander certification and was not competent to handle a ship like the RS-567.

We couldn't put my actual flight hours in the report – Dad would probably be arrested. I'd first sneaked into the simulator room when I was three. By the age of five, I performed better than the students on the training machines. Dad started letting me come with him on short flights when I was eight, and by ten he'd let me be co-pilot. I'd been flying solo two years before getting my private pilot's license at sixteen legalized it. Of course, everyone who worked at the flight school knew. Dad had initially been worried and tried to keep it a secret but he realized that the staff were loyal and not going to rat us out. No one even told Mom – as far as she was aware I'd only started solo flights after I got my license.

Dad sighed and put his head in his hands. "Beth, you have to impress the insurance assessor who comes. The assessor is going to come thinking that a reckless kid crashed the ship. You have to show him that you are an experienced and mature pilot." I opened my mouth to reply but he raised his hand and continued. "We all know how capable you are but we also know how you like to play practical tricks and your propensity to make sarcastic comments. Please don't do either around the assessor." I scowled and was going to make a rejoinder when I suddenly thought of how much pressure Dad was under – if the claim was denied I didn't see how he would be able to manage. We would have to sell the school. I kept quiet and went back to working on the reports.

* * *

Mom and Lydia were chattering away during dinner as usual. I was glad that they were too self-absorbed to notice that Dad was looking old and grey. I felt responsible; if Dad had been flying the ship instead of me, we wouldn't have to worry about the insurance claim being rejected.

Dad's wrist communicator gave a beep. He looked at the id and left the table immediately. As Mom grumbled about Dad's lack of table manners, I wondered whether it was the insurance company. I looked at the time and did a quick calculation. It would be the beginning of the work-day on the western side of Earth.

Dad came back into the room and asked Mom to excuse both of us for a few minutes. I anxiously followed Dad into the study.

"That was George Alkhally from the Pemberley Insurers Head Office in North America. I've dealt with him many times so he wanted to call me personally to let me know what is happening."

"What did he say?" I asked.

"Zack McNeely from their Ganymede office will be coming – as you know, Zach is their airship specialist. He is familiar with the RS-567 and the best person to investigate what happened to the ship. But they are also sending another investigator due the size of the claim. This person will be investigating the pilot." Dad paused and looked at me.

"They're sending a person to investigate me!"

"Yes. That is not unusual, with a large claim they can be expected to send a team of specialists. What is surprising is the person that they are sending – Will Darcy."

I had never heard of him. "Should I know the name?" I asked.

"Well, I'm sure your mother would have heard of him – his family own Pemberley Insurers among other companies. George tells me that Will has been working with Pemberley Insurers for two years now and that he specializes in airship claims. In fact, he has a professional pilot license. I guess it's a good thing that he is coming – he can't be much older than you so he shouldn't be prejudiced against you just because of your age."

I wasn't sure – from my experience, young male pilots were prejudiced against young female pilots. I didn't say anything to Dad. He was already under enough stress.

"I expect to hear from Darcy tomorrow – if he is traveling on the light shuttle we can expect him here in three days", Dad said.

* * *

After dinner, I went up to my room quickly. I wanted to find out as much as I could about Will Darcy from the public net. I was rather surprised at what I read about him. He had graduated in business management from one of the top-ranked universities in North America and initially started working with the Rosings Group which was the financial investment company of Pemberley Holdings. He had joined Pemberley Insurers a couple of years ago like Dad had mentioned. I was over-whelmed by what I learned about the size of Pemberley Holdings and not particularly amazed to find that he was rated one of the most eligible bachelors on Earth. With a family like that and his looks (there were many pictures of him attending various events) it was only to be expected. I supposed that Lydia would be all over him. Would that play in our favor? Or should I keep her away from him ...

I hoped that he would come quickly and that the whole issue could be resolved soon. I just wanted to get everything over with. I was sure that Zach would find data on the ship records that confirmed my account of the cause of the crash. And once I proved to Darcy that I was a good pilot, there would be nothing stopping them from approving the claim.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zach came over from Ganymede the next morning. We had dealt with him before on earlier claims and I'd worked closely with him on one of them. He was a really nice guy and amazing at airship data forensics so I was pretty relieved that he had been assigned to this case.

He called Dad from the hotel as soon as he landed and said he would come over in an hour. He knew that a favourable outcome for this claim was crucial for us and hoped that he would be able to release his preliminary report before Will Darcy landed. He expected that his findings would show that the ship's crash was due to operating system mal-function since he knew that I was a great pilot. In fact, I'd taken him on quite a few joy-rides on my trusty Wello-76 the last time he was on Titan.  
While we waited for Zach to get to our office, I went over all the reports that we had prepared to ensure that we hadn't left out anything important.

* * *

We gave Zach a room to use as his office and a large cup of coffee, then left him to look over the reports. He contacted me on my communicator after an hour or so and asked me to come to discuss the reports.

When I entered the room, Zach gave me a dimpled smile and motioned for me to sit down. I'd forgotten about how potent his smile was – he probably used it as a weapon when he needed to persuade people to co-operate in his investigations. It also helped that he was good looking with curly brown hair and bright green eyes and a body that showed he worked out. The first time he had come to Titan to look into a claim, Lydia had developed a major crush on him and tried her best to get him to go out with her. He had made it very clear to her that she was too young. I wasn't sure exactly what he had said but she had stayed clear of him after that.

"Pretty bad luck with that ship, eh?" he asked.

"You said it. I hope that the claim can be settled soon."

"I hope so too. Now, I need you to go over everything that happened from the time the ship was delivered."

I elaborated on the events as well as I could. Zach was recording everything on his wristlet and took notes on a datapad as well. He asked quite a few questions that I hoped I answered satisfactorily.

"Ok, we are done for now. I'll be speaking with Kel next. Then we can make our trip to the crash site."

I checked the time. "How about the three of us grab a quick lunch before we go to the crash site? Once we go there it should take a couple of hours to get back."

"That makes sense. I'll contact you once I finish with Kel."

I left the room and went to find Dad. He wasn't in his room so I went to the training room and sure enough he was there teaching a small batch of students. He saw me and excused himself to come over.

"Did you finish giving your statement to Zach?" he asked.

"Yeah. He's speaking to Kel now and then we're going to the crash site after lunch," I replied.

"Good. I've already arranged for one of the external hovercrafts to be reserved for you to use. I've also got a biosuit for Zach with all his specifications programmed."

"Ok, I'll call you later."

Dad gave me an encouraging smile as I left. I suppose he thought I might be nervous about the trip to the crash site. I wasn't though. I knew that the accident wasn't my fault and was sure that Zach would find evidence corroborating my account of what happened.  
I'd decided to go to 'May's Diner' for lunch. My cousin Jane worked there as a server and I hadn't seen her in over a week. She'd left a message checking up on me after she heard of the accident but I hadn't got around to calling her.

* * *

The diner was nearby so we used the walkway to get there. Jane was serving a customer but noticed me as soon as I stepped inside. We sat down at an empty table and waited for her to come.

"Beth!" Jane exclaimed and gave me a big hug. "I was so worried when I heard of the crash but your mom assured me you walked away without a scratch."

"Yes, I'm fine, don't worry", I replied as I hugged her back. I loved Jane like a sister. Well, considering how I felt about Lydia, I guess I loved Jane more than I did my sister. She was just a year older than me and we had spent a lot of time together since she used to come to stay with us every summer holiday. Her parents lived on Ganymede and her mother was Mom's older sister. Aunt Patricia was supposed to have an incurable illness and although Jane was her only child and had been the most obedient girl ever, her mother used to say it strained her nerves to have Jane home during the holidays. I suspected that Aunt Pat was just a hypochondriac but I loved having Jane here so it worked out great. Jane's Dad worked with an outer world mineral exploration company and was only home for a few months every five years.

A couple of years ago we had proof that Aunt Pat really had been sick – to our shock, she passed away quietly one night. Her husband was too far away to make it back in time for the funeral. I'd gone over to help Jane (my mother had taken to her bed on hearing of her sister's death) and after the funeral I had helped her close the house and pack her things to move to Titan. She was now doing her degree in marketing at Titan's Upanishad University and worked evenings at the diner. Jane's father hadn't changed his scheduled leave since he figured that anyway he was too late to see his wife buried. Jane only expected to see him after another two years. It didn't matter much to her since he was pretty much a stranger.

As I introduced my cousin to Zach, I was amused to see the normally cool and collected claims investigator get flustered. Jane had that effect on men. She looked like a model with long blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes and the cutest nose. She had a weakness for designer clothes and saved all her money to buy the latest fashions from the high-end Earth designers. I always told her that her fantastic figure ensured anything she wore looked like haute couture but she wouldn't wear clothes that were mass produced. I could see that under her May's Diner apron, she wore a chic dark blue dress which I'd noticed on the cover of last month's 'Women's Space'.  
Kel and I ordered our usual and Zach asked Jane for the house special with another of his charming smiles. I was surprised to note that Jane was blushing. She hadn't dated in quite a while and had not had a boyfriend since she broke up with her high-school sweetheart before leaving Ganymede. I would have preferred she was interested in someone who lived on Titan but Zach was a good guy so I hoped that they would get together. Ganymede wasn't far after all.

I had got as far as visualizing their wedding when I realized I was getting ahead of myself and brought my wandering mind back to the present.

Service was quick as always and we'd soon finished our lunch. We said good-bye to Jane and got back to the Bennet Flight School office. Annelle saw us as we entered and let me know that our hovercraft was waiting for us in the parking bay. We went and got all suited up for our trip outside the biosphere. Zach spent a few minutes ensuring that his biosuit was programmed correctly. It was crucial that the settings were done properly – Titan was freezing so we wouldn't be able to survive outside without our suits. Kel and I also checked that no changes had been made to our biosuits since we had last used them. Dad had always stressed the importance of doing this even if it had just been a few minutes since we had last removed and hung up our biosuits.

Zach was a bit worried about the weather – he had once got caught in one of the flash storms while outside on a hovercraft and didn't seem to have recovered from the experience. I couldn't blame him, I'd been caught outside in a few mild storms myself and they were mind-blowing. I'd seen Earth storms in old movies and they were bland boring things compared to the beauty of a Titan storm. You could see the wind spinning in shades of purple and blue against a pink sky. Small yellow and gold rocks would also twirl round and round like pixie dust. But if your hovercraft got hit by the rocks you'd realize the high velocity at which the wind was moving. The external hovercrafts all had a storm mode which turned them into little bunkers that attached themselves securely to the ground. It was scary being in one while you were pounded by rocks. In storm mode re-inforced GXH metal shutters covered the entire vehicle leaving just a small area on the windshield which was covered by special high resistance glass – I guess the designers thought having a little window would lessen the claustrophobic feeling inside. Both the times I was trapped in a storm, I spent the entire duration looking outside in fear and fascination.

Zach checked the latest weather forecast on his wristlet before he got into the hovercraft. It seemed to reassure him although he knew as well as I did that the weather here was extremely unpredictable. Kel and I both loved to drive the hovercraft 'outside' but I'd taken it the last time so it was his turn. I checked the emergency rations stored in the hovercraft, then got in behind and strapped myself securely. At the exit point we had our wrist tags and eyes scanned before the guards confirmed that we could leave.

* * *

As we made our journey to the crash point, I felt Titan exerting its usual calming effect on me. Inside the biosphere it was easy to forget that we were living on a cold and forbidding moon. Humans may have been on Titan for almost a hundred years but this didn't change the fact that it was not our natural habitat. There were people who spent their entire lives inside the biosphere with no interest in ever stepping out. There were also people who had made one visit outside and been so overwhelmed that they had never ventured out again. I loved journeying out of the biosphere. The first time I had seen the real Titan was on my first flight with Dad but I hadn't been satisfied with that and had persuaded him to take me the next time he had to go to a crash site (not that crashes were a regular occurrence here but about 15% of our new pilots had a minor accident while learning, mostly due to the freak storms). I'd loved that first trip outside and always looked for an excuse to make another trip. Even being trapped in the storms had never dampened my enthusiasm.

The sky was now a dark blue and you could see the glowing rings around Saturn as well as the sparkle of visible stars and the dull hues of the nearby planets. Earth was not visible due to the current tilt on Titan's revolution. I loved it when we could see our home planet. I noticed that Zach was also admiring the view and capturing images on his wristlet.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked him. He looked behind at me and smiled. "Yes, indeed. I've got a huge holopic of the views from Titan at home. Stuns every first time visitor. There are a lot of beautiful places on Earth but this is other-wordly beauty."

"Well, you can capture more images on the trip back," said Kel. "We will be at the crash site in a few minutes."

We turned around a corner and then the RS-567 was visible. She was looking rather pathetic - in addition to the damage due to the crash, the storms had also ravaged the ship.

Zach sighed. "I came as fast as I could but I see that this is one of the cases where it might have been better to rely on the police report of the crash site and have the ship towed to the hangar rather than leaving it to suffer the elements."

I didn't reply. I knew that Dad had railled many times against the insurance company rule that the damaged ship must not be towed from the crash site until their employee has assessed the damage and released the ship.

We stopped the hovercraft as close as we could and checked our suits before we started walking to the crash site. It took us about 10 minutes to get to the ship. Zach didn't want us to go in without him so Kel and I waited outside while Zach did his survery of the area. I was thinking about all the excitement we had felt before the test flight. Could the ship be repaired? I stared at the damaged wings in despair. Would Zach's report be favourable?

Once Zach was done, we went up to the door of the ship. The security settings were still active so I had to do a retina scan to get access. Zach whistled as we stepped inside.

"She is a beauty. I've only seen the earlier version," he said.

Kel and I plopped down on the passenger seats as Zach proceeded to tackle the ship's AI. He seemed to be having some issue with access judging by his expression but although Kel and I gave each other looks, we refrained from asking him any questions.  
After about 15 minutes or so, it looked like he had managed to download the ship's data records. He then spent some time surveying the inside. Kel was making small talk but I was too anxious to make conversation.

"Well," said Zach, " I'm done for today. I would normally let you make the arrangements for towing the ship but since Will Darcy is coming, I would prefer we leave it here for another day. He should be here by day after morning."

"Oh, I didn't realize you knew him. Have you had confirmation from him?" I asked.

"Yes, he let me know when to expect him. He's a good friend of mine. I know he will wrap up this case soon so don't you worry."  
I don't know why, but I got this sinking feeling in my stomach. I told myself to snap out of it and followed them back to the hovercraft.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was one in the afternoon and I was hungry. Zach had been cloistered in his room the whole morning, working on the ship data. I'd expected that he wouldn't need my time today and had taught my two scheduled classes - one theory and one sim class. I'd only started teaching the theory classes recently. Most of the students were older than me and I'd assumed that I would have problems with them. However, it seemed that my 'reputation' had preceded me and all the students appeared thrilled to be taught by me.

I thought we could go to May's Diner again and called Kel on his communicator to check his plans. I was surprised to learn that Zach and he were already there! Kel apologized for not waiting but explained that he thought my sim class only got over by 2 o'clock. He said that Zach had wanted to go to May's Diner although he had suggested another place. I told Kel I'd join them in a few minutes and asked him to order the usual for me.

When I arrived at the diner, I found Jane standing next to their table talking to Zach. She was smiling and blushing so I figured that Zach was doing things right. Kel made a face when he saw me. "I'm beginning to feel like the third wheel here," he whispered as I sat down next to him.

Jane came out of the little world where Zach and she were the only inhabitants and finally noticed me. "Hey sweetie! I'll be back with your food."

I noticed Zach was hypnotized by the swaying motion of Jane's hips as she walked away from our table. He'd got it bad!

"So Zach, how's the data analysis going?" I asked, bringing him out of his dazed state.

"You know I can't give you any details, Beth," he replied.

"I wasn't asking for details. Just wondering if you had got all the data you needed and whether you would be finished today," I said with mild irritation.

"Yes, I have got everything. I'm hoping to finish most of it today - I will have the preliminary report ready for Will in the morning."

"Dad hasn't heard anything from Mr. Darcy so I wasn't sure what arrangements to make for him to get to the office."

"Oh, he's staying at the same place as me so don't worry about that. We will come together."

I felt that Darcy could have let us know when to expect him. Or did he want to surprise us? He may not have expected Zach to inform us about his arrival. I had heard about insurance assessors who liked to make surprise visits - as if we would be busy falsifying data and an unexpected early arrival could help them catch us.

Oh well, tomorrow I would find out what he was like. I could put up with his arrogance for a few days if only he would finish quickly.

* * *

At the end of the day, Dad and I went to check if Zach had finished his preliminary report. He had finished but would not give us any indication of the nature of his findings.

Dad was rather surprised since the assessors would usually let us know how the investigation was going. However, we did not press him for details but said that we would meet Darcy and him tomorrow morning.

I told Dad later that I expected Zach was being a stickler for rules because of Darcy being involved in this investigation. Dad agreed that it could be the case, but re-iterated his faith that they would find no pilot error and the full claim would be accepted.

Before I went to sleep that night, I found myself praying that he was right.

* * *

I woke up early the next morning and spent more time than usual on getting dressed. I wanted to look professional and put on my best flight suit and all my certificate medals.

Lydia saw me just before I left the house but I dashed out before she could ask me why I was leaving early. I didn't want her to learn about Darcy's arrival. If Mom and Lydia found out that the 'Most Eligible Bachelor on Earth' was here, they were sure to get over-excited and come to the office to invite him to dinner and probably have a party in his honor. I wanted to take Darcy to the crash site today so that he would release the ship to be taken to the hangar.

Annelle was the only person in the office when I got there.

"Good morning, Annelle!"

"Oh Beth, I hope it is a good morning. I'm so worried about the insurance investigator coming today," she said.

"Annelle! Don't you have faith in me?" I teased.

She spent the next few minutes apologizing for offending me before I gave her a peck on the cheek and left. She was always so easy to rile.

I wondered if it was too early to call Zach. All the biospheres followed Earth time so Darcy should be ready to work in the morning. The shuttle would have arrived an hour ago and since he was probably an experienced traveler it was unlikely he would want a rest before he came in.

As I sat hesitating, a call from Annelle came on my communicator.

"Hey, what is it?" I asked.

"Beth, Mr. McNeely and Mr. Darcy are here. I've asked them to wait for you," she said.

"I'll be right down."

I should have expected that Darcy would come before normal business hours - he probably wanted to report that we were unprofessional and that no one was there to meet him. What did he expect when he didn't inform us about his arrival time? It was lucky that I had come in early.

As I walked into the reception area towards Darcy and Zach, I thought that it was a good thing I'd seen Darcy's pics or I might have been tongue-tied when I first saw him. I didn't have to like him to admit that he was attractive - he was tall with a square face and a roman nose. His chestnut hair was cut in the latest popular hairstyle for men and he was wearing what even I could recognize as a designer suit. He also had a large bag with him; I wondered what was in it.

"Mr. Darcy, I'm Elizabeth Bennet. I hope you had a pleasant journey?" I asked as I shook hands with him.

I thought I saw a surprised look in his blue eyes but it was gone before I could be sure.

"I was expecting to meet your father. Is Mr. Bennet not here?" he asked.

I suppressed the retort that sprang to my lips. "My father will be with you presently. However, I will be your liason with Bennet Flight School and will assist you in all matters pertaining to the claim investigation."

"Don't worry Will," said Zach with a smile, "Beth is the best person to help."

"Ms. Bennet, are you not the pilot who was flying the RS-567 when it crashed?" asked Darcy.

I didn't like his tone. Was he implying that I was an incompetent pilot who crashed the ship and was therefore also incapable of being of any assistance with the investigation?

"Yes, that is right. I will introduce you to my co-pilot Kel Konsiis later," I replied. "I'll let you get started on the review of the reports now. We have allocated a room for you to use as your office. Or would you prefer to work with Zach in the same room?"

"I will need a separate work space," he answered.

"Please follow me then."

Darcy didn't seem very happy with the room we had allocated for him - he gave a disdainful look around but didn't say anything. It's not like we had any more empty rooms so I didn't ask him if the room was satisfactory. Zach said he was going to go over his report with Darcy. I checked whether Darcy would be ready for the trip to the crash site in the afternoon. He asked me to call him around one o'clock so I left after promising Zach I would send coffee and biscuits.

I went to Dad's office to find that he had just come in. Annelle had already informed him of Darcy's arrival.

"It is a good thing that you came early. I shall take Kel and go to meet Mr. Darcy," said Dad.

I let him know that I was hoping Darcy would finish his site visit today and that I had reserved a hovercraft for our use, and then left to take my class.

* * *

I was going to call Darcy on his wristlet at one o'clock but found that his id was not listed so I called him on the room phone.

"Mr. Darcy, I wanted to check whether both of you are ready for the visit to the crash site after lunch?"

"Please come here," he replied and hung up.

I was a bit huffed at his abruptness but went there promptly. To my surprise, I found Darcy already dressed in his biosuit - so that was probably one of the things in that bag of his!

"We have suits for visitors to use when we take them outside the biosphere," I told him.

"I only wear my biosuit that has been specially designed for me," he said.

Well, oh-kaay then. I remembered that we were going to go for lunch first. "What about lunch?"

He looked disgruntled. "It's too early for lunch. I will eat after I return from the crash site."

I didn't see any biscuits left on the plate - Annelle had sent a dozen - so I understood why he wouldn't be hungry, but I hadn't even eaten breakfast since I left early and I was definitely too hungry to wait till we got back to eat. "Is Zach also ready to ea ... er .. to leave?" I asked.

"Zach has gone for lunch with your colleague, Mr. Konsiis. I don't see any need for him to make another visit to the site. He will continue to work on the presentation of his findings."

Very well, so it was going to be just Mr. Snob and little old me. Sigh. Didn't look like there was any chance of me being able to grab a quick lunch either.

"I need to get suited up and then we can leave."

"I shall wait at the reception for you," said Darcy.

I got suited as fast as I could and joined him at the reception. "The hovercraft is this way," I told Darcy as I walked towards the parking bay.

He looked shocked when I got into the driver's seat.

"Isn't there a driver?" he asked.

I laughed at the expression on his face. "Don't worry, I'm certified to drive the hovercraft outside."

He got in but turned towards me and said, "You are also a qualified pilot."

I felt my blood boil and couldn't stop myself from responding to that.

"The crash had nothing to do with my piloting ability. It was purely a technical fault."

"Well, my investigation will show the truth of that."

"Yes, it will!" I said firmly. I didn't want to argue with him any longer and started the hovercraft.

* * *

Darcy hadn't said anything in the last ten minutes. I was trying to enjoy the drive and ignore the taciturn man at my side but the silence was beginning to feel awkward.

"So Mr. Darcy, is this your first visit to Titan?" I asked finally.

"No, I have come a few times," he replied.

He didn't say anything else so I gave up and went back to driving in silence. It was calm outside right now and that worried me. I had forgotten to check the weather forecast when I left - very unlike me to omit doing that but it showed how much Darcy had managed to get under my skin. I felt the irritation rising again. There was no need for him to behave like this - I didn't expect him to be friendly like Zach but he didn't have to act like I was the enemy.

A sudden wind brought some dust around our hovercraft. I said a little prayer asking for good weather until we returned to the biosphere and accelerated to get to the site faster. I felt Darcy looking at me but he didn't say anything.

It was with relief that I saw the RS-567 up ahead. I parked at the same spot as on my last visit. Darcy got out and stood looking at the ship. I quickly went and got a couple of food bars from the emergency reserves and stuffed them in a pocket before rejoining him.

"I'll wait near the entrance while you look around," I told him and then walked up without waiting for his answer.

The lack of food was making me faint and I started on the first food bar. I had just finished the second when Darcy came up. He glanced at the used wrappers I was stuffing back in my pocket and I waited for an apology for not letting me have lunch but none came. Oh well, it would have been out of character. I entered the security code and we entered the ship.

"Take as much time as you need. I'll wait here," I told Darcy and then sat down on the passenger seat, leaned back and closed my eyes. I'd not slept properly the last few nights worrying about the claim investigation so I must have dozed off.

I came awake suddenly and opened my eyes in bewilderment. Darcy was picking up a small palm-sized device from the floor. The sound of it falling on the floor must have woken me up. I checked the time - looked like I had been dozing for more than twenty minutes! A bit embarassing to fall asleep before Darcy. I wondered if he had wanted to ask anything.

I sat up straight. "Do you need any assistance, Mr. Darcy?" I asked him. He looked at me and replied in his usual abrupt manner, "After I've finished this data download we can leave."

It took another ten minutes and then he indicated that he was ready to leave. I wanted to ask him whether the ship could be moved to the hangar but decided that it was perhaps better than Dad asked him. Darcy didn't seem to think much of me and I felt it was unlikely he would give a favourable reply to any request that I made.

* * *

We'd only gone halfway back to the biosphere when the storm started. I'd been driving in silence when suddenly I could feel the shift in the atmosphere. I knew how abruptly the climate changes here so I pressed the controls to change to storm mode.

The hovercraft did its thing. I could feel the vibration as the anchors released and secured us to the ground, the GMX metal shutters slid over the surface and the windshield guard dropped into place. The conversion was always scary the first time and Darcy was shaken enough to speak to me. "What is going on?" he asked.

"I guess you didn't get caught in a storm on any of your earlier visits?" I asked.

"It's absolutely calm. What makes you think there is going to be a storm?" he said.

"Just watch and wait. You'll see soon enough."

Darcy looked slightly annoyed but didn't ask me any more questions.

We both looked out of the window - the sky was dark blue and calm for a few more minutes. Then it began. The wind started spinning - peach and pink swirls all over. As the wind got stronger rocks started flying around. Our hovercraft shook slightly and Darcy appeared startled. Rocks started hitting us - the sound of the rocks against the metal of the hovercraft made me feel like we were being attacked by enemy missiles.

I looked at Darcy out of the corner of my eye. He was looking outside in amazement. I smiled to myself. Even the great Darcy couldn't fail to be impressed by a Titan storm.

After a few minutes, Darcy said, "It's beautiful. I'd watched a holo of a storm once but it didn't capture the magnificence of the real thing."

I couldn't help grinning at him. Anyone who thought Titan was beautiful couldn't be all bad. I remembered that he hadn't had lunch. "Would you like me to get some food bars for you? You must be pretty hungry."

"That would be great," he said.

I unbuckled myself and went behind to get the bars. I grabbed a couple of small bottles of water as well and walked back.

I was standing next to him to hand over the food and drink, when the hovercraft was hit by a large rock and quaked a bit. I stumbled and would have fallen if Darcy hadn't grabbed me by the waist.

"Thank you, that was sudden," I said. Darcy didn't remove his hands immediately but just looked at me. I found myself thinking that he had strong hands and felt silly. What was wrong with me? I looked down at him wondering why he wasn't taking his hands away. He had rather lovely blue eyes. I hadn't noticed before but they were the color of an Earth sea. I don't know how long I would have stood there gazing into his eyes if he hadn't suddenly snapped out of his trance and taken the food bars and one bottle from me.

He looked at the food bars. "Are all these for me?" he asked.

"Er .. yes, I had some earlier," I answered as I sat down, still feeling slightly flustered.

While Darcy ate, I took a few sips of water and then stared outside. I wasn't seeing the storm though - I was thinking about what had just happened. He was so arrogant that beyond the recognition of his handsomeness when I first saw him, I hadn't felt any attraction. But just now I had felt such a longing to be closer to him - my waist still tingled with the memory of his touch. I had never felt this way about anyone before. From the earliest I could remember, I had been absorbed in my dream of being a pilot to the exclusion of all else and so I had no close friends. Even though I had studied with the same group of kids until I finished high school, I wasn't in touch with a single one now. I had plenty of invitations to parties while I was at school - everyone loved pilots (and pilot wannabes who knew many pilots)! - but my dates were always older boys whom I knew from flight school and had been okayed by Dad.

Now that I had achieved my dream, I had been thinking that I would like to have more of a social life. And perhaps have a boyfriend. I had been overjoyed when Jane moved here because I knew that she would push me to meet boys and go out. I was confident in the sky but when it came to social situations, I was awkward, completely graceless. Being aware of Lydia's active social calendar didn't help me feel any better.

Darcy broke into my thoughts. "Will the storm continue much longer?"

I paid attention to what was happening outside. It was still windy but it looked like the worst was over.

"We can get going. Things have settled down - for now," I replied.

Once the hovercraft had gone back to normal mode, I set off back to the biosphere as fast as was safe. It was possible that another storm could start up at any time and I didn't want to spend any more time with Darcy.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When we stepped into the reception, we found Jane and Zach standing there talking.

"Hey Beth!" said my cousin.

Zach grinned at us and then introduced my cousin to Darcy.

"Did the site visit go well?" he asked us.

I waited for Darcy to answer. "Yes, it was satisfactory," he replied. "After I get out of my biosuit, I'll come over to discuss with you." He nodded at Jane and then walked off without looking at me.

I felt a little hurt although I knew it was unreasonable. Just because I had a 'moment', things were no different for him.

Zach also left after giving Jane a quick kiss on her cheek. I gave her a look, "So? What is going on?"

Jane giggled. "Oh Beth, he is so amazing. We are going out tonight to that new club that's opened."

"You mean 'Savage'?" I asked.

"Yes, that's the one. I'm so excited! I'm off work early so I'm going home now to get ready."

It seemed a bit early to start getting ready, but what did I know about getting ready for a date? I said bye to Jane and then went to get out of the biosuit before I started wallowing in self-pity.

* * *

By the time I went to speak with Dad, he had already got an update from Darcy and the go ahead to move the ship.

I had just sat down to have a chat with Dad, when Lydia and Mom burst into the office.

"Oh, you should have told us earlier that Will Darcy was coming. I can't believe it - the 'Most Eligible Bachelor on Earth' here on Titan!" shrieked Mom. "Where is he sitting? I have to have a party in his honor this Saturday!"

I knew this would happen. I shook my head at Dad but he told Mom where she could find Darcy and before I could do anything about it, Lydia and she had rushed off.

"Dad, you know what they are like!" I scolded him.

"There is no point trying to stop the force that is your mother, Beth."

He always did let Mom do what she liked and he wouldn't discipline Lydia either.

"But what is Mr. Darcy going to think?" I asked.

"Why don't you go and find out?" Dad replied.

* * *

I stepped out of the elevator and stopped in the passage. I could hear Mom and Lydia speaking with Zach.

"Don't worry Mrs. Bennet, I will definitely come to your party and I will bring Will as well."

I waited where I was until Mom and Lydia saw me and walked in my direction. "Did you invite Mr. Darcy to the party?" I asked.

Lydia snorted. "Such a pity, he is so good-looking but awfully boring."

"Oh?" I asked with a smirk. "Didn't flirt with you?"

"He was really rude. There wasn't an extra chair so I sat on his desk and he asked me to move. Didn't even look at my legs! Then I stood and bent down to talk to him and he told me I was blocking the light!"

It would have been funny if it was someone else but the thought of my sister behaving like that with Darcy was humiliating. I eyed her cleavage-baring dress with dismay.

"And you are still having a party for him, Mom?"

"He might not be a very nice man but he is still famous. I shall have a little gathering with our closest friends. Everyone will be jealous that he attended our party! And Zach is such a wonderful man! So charming and good-looking. I think I caught him giving Lydia a considering look."

"Mom," I said. " Zach is going out with Jane." I wasn't worried that Lydia would try anything with him after the brush-off she got last time, but I didn't want Mom putting Zach in uncomfortable situations.

"Really? Well, Lydia is still very young. I suppose he is better for Jane. After all, she is family. And she does look very much like me - lucky for her she doesn't take after her mother. Once Jane is married, then it will be time for me to find someone suitable for Lydia to settle down with."

Oh? And am I not a member of the family? I know I should be glad that Mom didn't want to set me up with someone, but it still bruised my ego to be ignored.

Mom and Lydia left to plan their party. I hesitated before I decided to go and check with Zach and Darcy if they needed any help. The door was closed - probably to prevent any more Mom/Lydia visits. After I'd buzzed them and the door slid open, I entered to find them hard at work. Zach smiled and Darcy just looked at me.

"I wondered if you had any further information requirements," I told them.

"No, we have all the data we need for now," Darcy replied.

"That's great. Zach has my communicator and wristlet ids in case you need to contact me."

As I left, I decided it was a good time to finish marking the huge bunch of tests that were clogging up my inbox. After all, I wasn't going partying at 'Savage' and had nothing better to do!

* * *

I hadn't got very far with my marking when Dad called on my communicator and said that he would like me to go along with the guys who were towing the ship to the hangar. I was happy to be occupied and agreed immediately. He gave me the details on where to meet them.

Only after he hung up did I remember to ask him whether he had confirmed the weather forecast. I knew that the towing company reps would have checked, and after the storm we had earlier in the day it should be quiet right now. However, I checked three different met company forecasts to make sure. I didn't want that lovely ship damaged further. If a storm should break out and tow-lines break it would be disastrous.

After I had got suited up for the second trip outside for today, I went in the hovercraft to the towing company office to meet up with the reps who would be handling this job. They were all suited up and waiting for me when I got there. A couple of the guys were familiar, they'd worked on Bennet jobs before. There was one new guy whom I'd not seen in the office before. The others were in a rush and asked me to follow them to the tow-ships. As I walked behind them, the new guy slowed down to keep pace with me. I thought he was cute. He had an athletic build, short ginger hair and gray eyes.

"I think I should introduce myself," he said with a smile. "My name's Hal Casey. I started work here a week back."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Elizabeth Bennet as you probably already know," I replied.

"I've heard a lot about your flight school … and about you!"

I grinned at that. I knew people in the pilot business talked about me like I was a genius.

"I've only moved to Titan a couple of weeks ago, so this place is still fairly new. I figure you are the best person to ask questions about the Titan, your family is like Titan bluebloods."

"Well, I don't know about us being bluebloods but ask me what you'd like to know about Titan," I answered.

We'd got to the tow-ships by then. "Why don't you get into my tow-ship? We can talk while we work!" said Hal.

I didn't see any issue with that so I agreed. Hal was assigned the tow-ship which would be behind the RS-567 so anyway I'd have wanted to be in that one.

* * *

It had taken two and a half hours to finish the job. Luckily, the weather had been really calm or it would have taken even longer. Hal had talked non-stop – he was full of questions about Titan. I thought he was pleasant company.

After we had got the ship in the hangar and gone back to the tow company office, I said goodbye to Hal and was going to leave when I heard him calling me.

"Beth, I was wondering whether you would like to grab some dinner together. If you don't already have some plans for today, that is."

I hesitated for a second but decided that it would be nice to go out with him. I'd found myself thinking about Darcy more often than I liked and perhaps going out with Hal would help me put Darcy out of my mind.

I got out of my biosuit and dumped it in the back of the hovercraft. I didn't want to go back home to change so when Hal rejoined me after he had changed out of his work clothes, I suggested we go to May's Diner. I wasn't comfortable going to an unfamiliar restaurant in my flight suit and May's was the only diner I patronized since it was so close to the school.

The restaurant wasn't too crowded for Friday evening. We were able to get a nice table for two in a corner. Lindsay came to get our order and made a thumbs up at me when Hal wasn't looking. I was sure she would tell Jane about him when she came into work tomorrow.

Hal was interested in the flight school and the current pilot certification programs and kept asking me questions throughout dinner. I was so busy answering his questions that I didn't get a chance to ask him anything about his background.

When the check came, Hal grabbed it. "I don't let my dates pay," he said with a charming smile. He got out his card and gave it to Lindsay.

As we waited for Lindsay to get back after charging the card, I felt the hairs at the back of my neck rise. Was someone looking at me? I turned and was shocked to see Will Darcy sitting at a table on the opposite side of the room and glaring at me. Then I realized that he wasn't looking at me, but at Hal. I looked back at Hal who was staring in confusion at me. "What's up, Beth?"

"Hal, do you know ..," I started before I was cut off by the man himself standing in front of our table.

"What are you doing here?" Darcy demanded of Hal.

"Will! A s... surprise to see you here. I m... moved to Titan a month ago," Hal replied, stumbling over his words a bit.

"What are doing on Titan?"

"I work for a towing company." Hal sounded defensive.

"What fake credentials did you show them?" Darcy looked at him threateningly.

When Hal opened his mouth to answer, Darcy cut him off. "I don't want to hear it - just don't let me hear you've been up to your old tricks."

Darcy gave me look of disgust. "You better watch the company you keep, Ms. Bennet."

With that, he stalked back to his table, threw down a bunch of paper credit next to his untouched plate, and then stormed out of the diner.

I sat in stunned silence but Hal seemed to recover quickly enough. "I'm sorry you had to witness that, Beth," he said apologetically.

Before he could say anything more, Lindsay came back to the table. "I'm sorry, sir, but your card has been declined."

Hal's face went red with embarrassment and he started digging in his pocket - I assume for another card. But I wanted to hear about Darcy and him so I asked Lindsay to add it to my account over Hal's protests.

"Just tell me what that was all about," I said.

"First, tell me how you know Will Darcy," he said.

I explained how he was currently assessing one of our claims.

"I get that you don't like him much," prompted Hal.

"I have to admit that I find him arrogant and unfriendly," I replied.

"Well, if you can just drop me off at my office, we can talk on the way. And then you'll agree with me that he is a lot worse than just unfriendly."

I asked him if he wouldn't rather I drop him off at his place but he said he had some work to finish up. While I drove there, he explained the reasons for Darcy's animosity.

Hal's father had been the caretaker of the Darcy vacation home on Earth Moon. The Darcys had a little biosphere of their own over there, where they could have complete privacy. The Caseys had a little house near the Darcy mansion and Hal had grown up there, commuting to the nearest biosphere for school. The Darcy kids used to spend every summer vacation there. Apparently, Darcy and Hal had never got along well.

"He was a little shrimp, afraid of his own shadow. His daddy was always at him to man up. He hated me because I was big and strapping, even as a boy, and always into sports. Whenever his father praised me in front of him, I could see Will glaring at me with hate in his eyes. But his sister Gemma was a doll - he never did have any time for her so she was always following me around. He couldn't stand that she adored me. When we got older, we realized that we more than liked each other but I was scared to take the first step and ask her out. I was an employee's son and I worried that Will would make trouble if he found out. Gemma didn't worry about such things though - she had got no crookedness in her at all. She came and told me how she felt, she was just fifteen."

I remembered reading that Darcy's sister was a lot younger than him and interrupted Hal to ask how old he was then.

He was a bit surprised by the question. "Yes, I was a bit older than her, Will and I are the same age. So I had finished school and was helping my father out for a bit while I decided what I wanted to do." He smiled at me. "I know you will understand when I tell you that it had always been my dream to be a pilot."

He continued his story. "It was a magical time. We sneaked off every chance we got. Will hadn't come down yet - he was busy with his own selfish interests and never thought about his sister there alone, with just the servants for company. A shriveled old housekeeper who looked disapprovingly on everything Gemma did. But I should have known it was too good to last. Will came down and although we tried our best to hide our happiness from him, he found out."

Hal looked at me imploringly, "You have to understand, I'd never have broken up with Gemma if Will hadn't forced me to do it. She was my first love. But he threatened to fire my father and I couldn't let him do that. My father had been working for the Darcy's since he was twenty and it would have just destroyed him to have lost his job. He had a heart attack the year before and his health wouldn't have taken the shock. So I left ... never heard from Gemma again."

We were sitting outside the towing company offices in the hovercraft. I was filled with indignation at what I had heard but not surprised. Darcy's behavior was just as would be expected for someone with such arrogance. How could he hurt his sister that way?

I held Hal's hand sympathetically and he smiled gratefully at me.

"I better get going, they'll be wondering why I haven't returned the hovercraft yet," I said.

"Maybe we can go out tomorrow?" Hal asked. "I'll call you in the afternoon, ok? I have work on Saturday morning."

"Yes, I'll speak with you tomorrow," I replied.

I watched Hal walk into the building and wondered if he had ever stopped loving Gemma Darcy. As I drove back home, I found myself laughing out loud at the failure of my plan to stop thinking about Darcy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dad and I were at the school all seven days of the week, so it wasn't like we had to go out of our way to be available there over the weekend since Zach and Darcy would be working.

I'd escaped the breakfast table early to escape hearing about Mom's final preparations for the party. Imagine giving a party in that man's honor! I would hope that Darcy wouldn't show, except for the fact that it would embarrass Mom in front of her friends. Zach was sure to bring him anyway.

As I made my way to work, I wondered if Jane was up after her hot date yesterday. She would probably give me a call later.

After I got to my office, I called Zach on the communicator and let him know that I was here until lunchtime in case they needed anything. Then I went back to the tests I was marking. Since there were no interruptions, I managed to finish them all by afternoon. I didn't feel like going out for lunch - the house would be in chaos while Mom and Lydia got everything set for the party.

I was contemplating what to do next when I got a call on my communicator from an unidentified id.

"Hey Beth!" came Hal's deep voice.

I was pleased to hear from him but surprised since I hadn't given him my communicator id and only wristlet ids are listed.

"I got off work early and went by your home thinking you'd be there. Met your sister Lydia - lovely girl. She gave me your id and also invited me to a party there this evening. I'm hoping you don't already have a date for this evening so that I could be your date," he said entreatingly.

"I'd like that, Hal. But you do know that this party is in honor of Darcy's visit and he will be there?" I asked.

"Oh .. I didn't know that."

"It's ok though, we don't need to talk with him or anything and there will be lots of people so it won't look awkward if we avoid him completely. So you'll be there?"

"Definitely! I'll be there around seven," he said. "See you later!"

* * *

I'd come home and had a quick lunch of leftovers in the kitchen before I went to my room. I hadn't bought a new dress in ages and wasn't sure what to wear for the party. I opened my closet to find my party dresses were shoved at the back, behind all my flight suits. There weren't that many so I took them all out and arranged them on the bed to have a better look.

My eyes went first to a black dress that Jane had bought me last year. It was made of really lovely silky fabric and the cut emphasized all my curves. I'd only worn it once during last year's annual party at the flight school. I tried it on and then stood in front of the mirror. Had I put on weight? The dress looked too tight - like something Lydia would wear. No, I was definitely not wearing this. I liked Hal but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea about the kind of girl I was.

I deliberated over the remaining four dresses. They all looked rather tight and short - when had I bought these? I finally decided on a knee-length, cherry red sheath dress that I remembered had been a birthday gift from my Aunt Margaret. I tried it on to make sure it fit right. It looked pretty, no cleavage showing and my arms looked good. I took it off and decided there was enough time for me to have a leisurely bath before I got ready. I didn't plan to do anything special with my hair - just let in settle into its natural curls - so I shouldn't need much time to get dressed.

* * *

I stood in a corner of the room where Mom wouldn't spot me easily. I had spent some time chatting with Jane and Zach and eaten a whole lot of canapés while listening to the great band Lydia had arranged. There was still no sign of Hal and I wasn't in the mood to circulate and make conversation with Mom's guests. What had happened to Hal? I went and sat down on a chair in the hall and checked my communicator for messages. Nothing ..

I was searching for Hal's id to call him, when I heard Zach's voice nearby. He was talking with Darcy and they stopped near where I was sitting. They had their backs to me and I realized they didn't notice me because of the large vase placed at the side of the room entrance. Zach was trying to made Darcy dance. Huh, I doubted he would have much luck making Darcy unbend enough to dance with anyone here. I was going to get up and return to the room when I heard Zach say, "Why don't you dance with Beth? She's a lovely girl."

Darcy snorted. "If you want to dance, go ahead, but don't expect me to take pity on some girl who couldn't get a date."

"If you want to be like that then I leave you to it. I'm going to dance with Jane," said Zach with irritation and left.

I remained seated - incensed and indignant at what I had just overheard. My thoughts were incoherent, rage and hurt making me feel like crying. I hadn't acknowledged to myself that I had dressed up for Darcy, not Hal. I had hoped that Darcy would notice me today and think that I looked pretty. I didn't like him but I wanted him to admire me. His comment hit me hard. I decided that I would show him I didn't care about his opinion of me. I got up and walked into the room.

Darcy was still standing near the entrance and he turned around as I entered. He was shocked to see me there.

"Hello Mr. Darcy," I said. "I hope you are enjoying the party."

He didn't say anything but his face showed discomfort and he gave a sort of nod.

"Not much fun for a girl without a date though," I said with a smile, and then walked past him to join a group clustered around Lydia.

Lydia's friends were loud and uninhibited and I usually did not like spending time with them. However, today their banter worked like balm on my bruised feelings. I stayed with them and avoided going anywhere near Darcy. To my surprise, I actually managed to enjoy the rest of the evening and danced long enough to go to bed with aching feet.

* * *

Hal calling on my communicator woke me up the next morning. He was full of apologies, said that an urgent job had come up which prevented him being able to attend the party. I accepted his apologies although I was sure that his real reason for not coming was his reluctance to face Darcy. Hal asked if I was free tonight but I let him know I already had plans. I said I would see him around.

I hoped that he got the message. I wasn't so sure any more that I wanted to start dating. And even if I was, Hal didn't seem to be the kind of man I could respect. Instead of standing up to Darcy, he was avoiding him. That was not behavior that I admired.

* * *

I was in the office again. Dad had asked me to be there since he had to go see a friend. I had actually been thinking of doing some shopping with Jane, but I couldn't refuse Dad. I'd had to go down and let Zach and Darcy into the office building since Annelle wasn't there, but I restricted my conversation to Zach.

I had decided to work on my lesson plans for the week and had almost finished when Darcy stepped into my office.

"Can I help you?" I asked. I was resolved to be a professional and control the dislike I felt for him. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to do much about the attraction I felt – when I stared into his eyes I felt a bit like I was zapped by lightening. I hope my face didn't show any of what I felt.

"Yes," he replied. "I was reviewing Zach's report of the crash and wanted to confirm some points with you."

I asked him to take a seat and went over the report with him. He wanted clarification on a lot of things so it took quite a bit of time. Then he asked to see my certificates since he needed copies. I'd already given Zach copies but I didn't argue. I produced the bunch for him and he took copies with a small datacam.

It was lunch time by then and my stomach gave a little growl.

Darcy looked at me and raised his eyebrows. "Zach and I were planning to get some lunch. Would you like to join us?"

"No, thank you. I have other plans," I said. I didn't explain that these involved eating the sandwich I had bought with me and then reading a book until they finished and I could go home. As Darcy was leaving, I asked him to tell Zach to call me when they were back after lunch so that I could let them in. Our security system would let them exit the building but on the weekend their visitor cards wouldn't give them access when they tried to enter.

I finished my lesson plans and ate my sandwich while reading a great new mystery. I was a quarter into the book when Zach called to ask me to let them in.

Zach seemed somewhat unlike his usual self. I supposed it was Darcy's morose company.

"When will you be finished? We'd like to start repairs to the ship," I said, smiling at Zach.

However, it was Darcy who answered. "Another day or two and we should be done. They will call you from our Head Office and let you know."

It looked like they had no intention of giving us any indication at all about whether our claim had been approved. I resolved to ask Zach tomorrow, some time when Darcy wasn't around.

* * *

They had finished and left by five so I had some time to kill. I would have called Jane but assumed that she must be spending her time with Zach so I decided to go for a movie on my own. I went home to change out of my flight suit into some casual clothes and was just going to leave, when Jane called on my communicator.

"Beth, still at the office?" she asked.

"No, I was going to watch a movie. I thought you would have plans with Zach," I said.

"He said he would call if he could meet up, but I haven't heard from him. What are you going to watch?

We made plans to meet up at the cinema. I set off to the walkway feeling more cheerful.

* * *

The next morning I was in the office bright and early since I had an early class. After I finished, I tried to call Zach on his communicator but wasn't able to get through. I decided to go see him and ask him how things were looking for us. I was stunned to find the room he had used empty. I went to check the room that Darcy was using and found it closed. I buzzed for entrance but there was no reply.

I was worried and went to Dad's office. I found Darcy there, talking with him.

"Beth, Mr. Darcy was just informing me that they have finished. I should hear from George Alkhally tomorrow," said Dad.

"That's good, I hope we can get started on the repairs then. But is Zach not coming in today?"

"Oh, Zach's already left," replied Dad. I wondered at that. Jane and I had been out till eleven yesterday night and she hadn't heard anything from him by then.

Darcy stated that he would be leaving after he fetched his things from the room. Luckily, Dad got up to see Darcy out so I could get back to my classes. I looked forward to getting the report in the next few days. Then I could start flying again!

I was relieved that Darcy was leaving. He made me feel uncomfortable and unsure of myself. I couldn't wait to have him out of my life.

* * *

Jane called me in the afternoon, almost in tears. She had been trying to get through to Zach since morning. I told her Darcy had said that Zach already left. She couldn't understand why Zach would leave without letting her know. When she had seen him on Sunday afternoon at the diner, he hadn't mentioned leaving.

I suggested that perhaps something had come up at work and that she wait to hear from him. If he had gone back to Ganymede, he would probably call in the evening. That seemed to cheer her up a bit.

I decided to go and stay over at Jane's tonight. There was something funny going on and if she didn't hear from Zach, I wanted to be there to comfort her. I knew my cousin cared for Zach although she had only known him for a short time. They were both easy-going, happy people so it wasn't a surprise that they got along so well. It didn't seem in character for Zach to behave like this.

* * *

I had bought a huge tub of frozen dessert before going to Jane's place. She was eagerly awaiting Zach's call when I got there.

"A sleep-over?" she asked with a grin.

"Yes, it's been ages since we've had one. I would have bought some holos to watch but I remembered that you have the largest romance holo collection in Titan!"

Jane laughed and we got all set to eat junk food and watch an old tear-jerker. She was fine until the scene in the movie where the hero had to leave the heroine and then she started sobbing - horrible tearless, soundless jerks of her shoulders that scared me. I hugged her tight, trying to comfort her. I was stunned - I'd never seen Jane this way. After a while she quietened and tears started running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Beth. I just don't understand why Zach didn't call before leaving. I …. I think I'm in love with him. I know you are going to say that I'm being silly – he's a nice guy but there are plenty of other rocks in the universe … it's just that I felt so complete with him! He understood me, he wanted to talk to me and hear my opinion about things. I wasn't just eye-candy to him. I thought we would continue seeing each other even after he left Titan; I was already planning to go to Ganymede to visit him. Do you think I mis-read him? Was he just having a casual fling? Did he sense I wanted more and was uncomfortable, so he left without telling me to avoid a scene?"

I wasn't sure how to console her. "I thought he cared about you. I've met him a few times and he never struck me as the type of guy to lead a girl on. Remember, I told you how he handled the situation with Lydia? I'm not sure why he left without so much as a quick good-bye. Even if he didn't want anything serious, there's no reason for him to run off like that."

"I wasn't being clingy, was I?" she asked.

"No, you weren't being clingy! You were your normal lovely self and no man could help falling in love with you. If he wasn't smart enough to realize what he had, then he's not worth getting upset over."

"I feel like I've known him forever, not merely a few days. How could he not feel the same? How can such a feeling be one-sided?" she demanded.

I felt that I wasn't much help. I had no reply to give her.

"He could have answered my calls. I know I told you the calls didn't go through but actually that was later. In the morning the line was ringing and he didn't pick up. I also sent him three messages before I managed to control myself," she said with a crooked smile.

"I think you are better with him out of your life if he doesn't have enough decency to return your calls, at least send a message."

"I don't know why he would behave like this," she sighed. "I've been thinking over all the things we said to each other, the way he looked at me, how he held me when we danced, the way he kissed me …. I thought he was falling in love with me, as well."

It seemed to help Jane to talk about her feelings and I tried to be a sympathetic listener although his behavior made me feel that she was better off not having a relationship with him. Why avoid talking to Jane? Even if he didn't want a serious relationship, he could have let her know how he felt. Perhaps he thought he would hurt her by stating the truth but he was hurting her more by making her wonder what went wrong; she was blaming herself.

I sent a message to Dad that I'd be in late to work tomorrow. Then I talked Jane into watching a funny holo with me although it was already past midnight. Jane fell asleep on the couch, worn out by the release of emotions. I covered her with a blanket and spent a lot of time curled up on the armchair, thinking, before I was able to sleep.

I wondered if what Jane felt for Zach was really love. She had just known him for a few days. It was true they had spent a lot of time together in that short time but was it long enough for her to fall so deeply in love? Poor Jane, I sympathized with her, but at the same time was glad that I had never felt like this about anyone. I wouldn't want to give a person such power over me.

* * *

The light streaming in through the windows woke me up the next morning. All the biospheres tried to create an environment as close to Earth as it was possible. So even though it was dark on Titan, here in the biosphere it was as if the sun had risen.

Jane had already gotten up and was drinking coffee when I opened my eyes. She looked miserable, her eyes puffy and red. She gave me a brave smile.

"I've taken the day off," she announced. "I'm planning to go shopping. Can you come with me? Do you have many classes to teach today?"

I thought about it. Kel and Sumit had been covering for me over the last week when I had to help Zach and Darcy so I was reluctant to ask them to take my classes today. However, I did always cover for them when they were on vacation, and I hadn't taken a holiday from the flight school for the last couple of years so I figured they still owed me.

"Sure Jane. Let's go shopping," I said. I knew retail therapy would keep Jane's mind off Zach.

And you never know, Zach might call her today. Perhaps he had trouble traveling and something prevented him from getting in touch with her earlier.

I made some calls to Kel and Sumit and got them to confirm they would teach my classes. Then I called Dad to let him know, though I didn't expect any objections from him. Dad was fine with me taking the day off; he also let me know that he had heard from Pemberley Insurers.

They were approving the claim in full so Dad would be making arrangements for the ship to be repaired. What a relief to hear that the claim had been passed! I felt that a great load had been taken off my shoulders. With all the questions Darcy had asked on the last day, I had begun to think he was going to decide that the crash was my fault. I shouldn't care about his opinion, but I hoped that he felt I was a competent pilot even if he thought I couldn't get a date.

I told Jane the news before I realized that it would make her think of Zach. Her face drooped a bit but she gamely said that I needed to take her out for a spin tomorrow to celebrate.

* * *

Things went back to normal for me after that. My days were busy with teaching and flying. Hal had called me a few times but I was distant with him and he soon stopped calling. I did see him with Lydia once. It worried me since he was much older but when I asked Lydia about it, she didn't seem very interested in him. However, she was eager to talk about how he had been ill-treated by Darcy. It looked like everyone now knew about it. I didn't much like the way he was spreading the story after Darcy had gone when he knew that he would not have to confront him about it. Seemed like rather cowardly behavior to me but I had nothing to do with Hal so I didn't dwell on it.

Zach never did contact Jane. I met Jane most evenings and made sure to keep her occupied so she couldn't think of him – not too much at any rate. We enjoyed the biosphere's nightlife occasionally – we visited some of the new dance bars that were mushrooming all over, usually along with a few of Jane's colleagues from the diner. I didn't feel they were really my 'scene' but Jane loved dancing so I went along. We avoided the places Jane and Zach had gone to together.

Despite all my efforts Jane was unlike herself. She mentioned to me that she was having trouble with her classes and was thinking of dropping a subject. Seeing the shadows under her eyes grow darker as the days went by, I became worried. I wondered if a little holiday would help her to get out of the depression she was in. When Mom mentioned that it was time for Jane's dad, Uncle Phillips, to visit Ganymede, I thought that Jane and me making a trip there together might be a great idea.

This was Uncle Phillips' first visit since Aunt Pat had died so it was sure to be an emotional visit for him. Jane had not seen much of her father while growing up and when I asked about her going down to Ganymede, she seemed rather hesitant. I suggested that I travel with her and that seemed to cheer her up. She said that she could manage her classes – all the lectures and coursework was on the net - and she could get a week off from the diner. We decided to go a couple of days before Uncle Phillips' visit and stay for a week. Dad's friend ran a flight school in Ganymede and he was always calling me over as a guest lecturer so I thought I could arrange to take two or three classes there while I visited. That would give Jane some time with her father – she wouldn't see him again for a few years so it was important that they made the most of their time together.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I didn't want to take the early morning shuttle to Ganymede. It was faster than the one that left in the afternoon, but it was also much more crowded; full of businesspeople in their dark suits rushing to Ganymede for meetings.

So Jane and I were now in the second shuttle, thankful than we didn't have to suffer the crush. We'd had to take economy seats, of course, but they were comfortable enough. Being used to having control over the ships I flew, I always found travel in the shuttle uncomfortable and would have liked to chat with Jane to pass the time quickly, but she had dozed off as soon as the shuttle started. I didn't feel like reading or watching anything so I amused myself looking at our fellow passengers as unobtrusively as I could. I found myself staring at a man seated a couple of rows ahead to my right. He was absorbed in what he was reading and mouthing the words, his lips moving in an exaggerated fashion. I wondered if he was trying to learn a new language. Suddenly, he turned and looked straight at me. I was taken by surprise and couldn't turn aside and pretend I wasn't staring.

He gave me a smile; probably one intended to charm but which only came over as creepy. His hair had been gelled back and although he was probably not much older than me, he already had a receding hairline. His face was thin and weak chinned, the most prominent feature a long pointed nose. I looked away without acknowledging his smile and hoped that he would get back to what he was reading and not try to catch my attention. I was out of luck – he got up and walked over to where I was seated.

"Hello," he said with another smile. I desperately thought of a way to avoid replying but didn't know how to ignore him – I was the one who had been staring at him! When I didn't reply, he tried again. "I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to the refreshment section – maybe get a drink?"

"I'm sorry but I can't leave my friend, she gets travel sickness and might need me," I replied, hoping he would give up and go.

"Maybe I can get you something to drink?" he asked.

I was saved the trouble of thinking up another excuse by the sudden buzzing and the flashing of the seatbelt sign. With a quick wave, he returned to his seat. Talk about being saved by the bell! He must be a nervous sort. The shuttle started shaking slightly – we must be going through one of those fast moving asteroid belts. By the time the shuttle had settled, I was feeling drowsy and decided a nap would help me feel better and also discourage any further attempts at conversation by my fellow passenger.

When I woke up, the display screen showed that there was just another forty minutes before we stopped at Ganymede. I must have slept for ages! Jane was awake and reading. She smiled at me when she noticed I was awake.

"Hey Beth. Did you have a good nap?"

"Yes, guess I was tired."

"Your friend came over while you were sleeping."

"My friend?" I asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, he sits a little in front. Gave me his wristlet id to pass to you." Jane fiddled on her wristlet. "There, I've sent it to you."

I realized that the friend must be the man I'd got caught gawking at, and looked at the id displayed on my wristlet – Jim Collins. Well, I had absolutely no interest in ever speaking to Mr. Collins. I deleted the id promptly. I was not going so much as glance that side of the compartment in the little time we had left in the compartment.

"Jane, he isn't a friend."

I explained to Jane what had happened. She thought it was hilarious but agreed to leave the compartment from the back so that we were unlikely to bump into him. Silly of me, but it was rather awkward.

We had no view from the economy compartment but I knew from trips in our ships what we would see now. Ganymede would be looming just ahead – gray and somewhat forbidding. Ganymede was slightly larger than Titan but had fewer biospheres due to the lack of water. Scientists had been trying for decades to convert the oxygen and hydrogen in Ganymede's atmosphere into water but had been unsuccessful due to the low levels of hydrogen. Supplies were therefore still transported from Earth regularly. Fortunately, the large deposits of GXH in Ganymede meant that the government was more than able to fund regular imports of water. GXH prices were currently very high and expected to increase with new uses constantly being found for GXH metal. Probably they would be building a few more biospheres in the next couple of years.

Jane's house was in Biosphere 3. It was one of the larger biospheres so the shuttle had a direct stop there. We'd only packed enough clothes for the week so we put our bags on our backs and got on the walkway from the station. To my relief, there was no sign of Jim Collins.

* * *

The house was musty; we checked and found that the temperature controls were not correct. A few minutes after adjusting the controls we felt better. Jane wanted to call and get in touch with some of her old friends. I was feeling hungry but not in a mood to eat out so while she was busy on her communicator, I decided to go and get some supplies for us. I could have just ordered on the net but I liked to see the foodstuff that I was buying.

I used the walkway to get to the nearby mart, looking around at the buildings as I went. Ganymede seemed dull and colorless compared to Titan. I suppose the difference was due to the fact that almost all countries on Earth had sent people to Titan resulting in a rich diversity of ethnicities, but the settlers on Ganymede were mostly from a few places in North America and Europe since it had been colonized earlier. Other countries had expressed interest in sending their people but were unable to pay the large transport fees demanded by the North American shuttle companies, except for a few small countries from the Middle East which had worked out a barter deal with their fuel resources. Of course, there had been subsequent movement of people from Earth and the other civilized moons and planets, but the basic demographics hadn't changed all that much.

I didn't take much time at the mart and soon found myself back at Jane's home with a large bagful of groceries. Jane was still talking to someone on her communicator so I busied myself with keeping everything in the kitchen.

Jane came bounding in after a few minutes.

"Beth, my friend Alicia invited us for dinner today at a new French restaurant. She's just got a new job at a newsdistributor and she's celebrating," she said.

I had been planning to make a pasta dish for dinner and a French restaurant wasn't tempting at all. But Jane did look excited.

"Alicia? I remember her. The fashion journalist, right?"

"That's right. I hope you've bought something suitable to wear, Beth. It's a posh place."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you think they'll let me enter in my flight suit?"

"Beth! You can borrow one of my dresses if you like."

"No, I did in fact bring one dress so I won't embarrass you in front of your friends," I said smiling at Jane. She seemed happy at the thought of meeting her old friend and although I wasn't too comfortable with Jane's fashion-conscious Ganymede gang, I was willing to do anything that would get her back to normal.

* * *

When we gave our names at the reception, a hostess promptly took us to Alicia's table. Alicia was as friendly as always and quickly introduced us to the two other girls who were with her. Kate Henderson was a sweet looking blonde who worked with Alicia at 'The Daily Gun'. The other girl was a beautiful brunette with a haughty expression. Alicia introduced her as Carolynn McNeely, a fashion critic.

Jane sat up straighter when she heard Carolynn's surname.

"Are you related to Zach McNeely?" she asked.

Carolynn looked surprised. "Yes, Zach's my younger brother. How do you know him?"

"Oh, I met him through Beth, actually. Beth's family own a flight school on Titan and Zach was there recently to assess a claim," Jane explained.

I thought Carolynn's expression changed slightly when Jane mentioned meeting Zach on Titan. Had her brother told her about the girl he was dating?

"I see. Zach does meet a lot of people through work. I've always wondered why he wanted to take up that job. It's not like he needs the money."

Jane didn't seem to notice Carolynn's cold tone and spoke to her about Zach a bit longer. I could see that Carolynn wanted to cut short the conversation. Soon enough she had changed the topic to what we should order.

The main course was not to my taste – the chicken was bland and the sauce wasn't much better; I suppose I liked a little more spice in my food. But dessert was amazing - a lovely apricot mousse that was light and fresh and made the trip to the restaurant worth it for me. Alicia and Kate were great conversationalists and I had a pleasant time as long as I avoided looking at Carolynn's sour face. It seemed to me that Carolynn felt she was too good to associate with Jane and me.

As we said our goodbyes, Jane couldn't help asking about Zach one more time.

"Carolynn, it was lovely to meet you. I do hope you will visit me – Beth and I are here for a week. And please tell Zach that I said hello," she said.

Carolynn made some noise and waved a quick bye before she left.

When we got back home, Jane was pensive. I was irritated – would reminders of Zach McNeely follow us everywhere? I knew he was based in Ganymede, but it was a fairly large place. Was it too much to hope that we had no further contact with Zach or any of his relatives? It was doubtful that Carolynn would let Zach know about Jane being in Ganymede so I hoped that we wouldn't hear anything more about him.

I couldn't believe that I had wanted Zach and Jane to get together. But at the time I had had a good opinion of him. Even after he had left Titan without a word to Jane, I had waited for him to call her with a good reason, something that would explain his out of character behavior. But when the weeks went by without any contact from Zach, I thought that perhaps he had never been the nice guy that I thought he was. I wished that I had never introduced him to Jane.

* * *

Jane made the most amazing waffles for breakfast the next morning. I ate more than I should and then lazed around on the couch instead of helping her tidy up the house. She was getting anxious about her father's visit – it had been a really long time since she had seen him. I also suspected that she was angry with him; she had wanted him to come when her mother passed away and had been upset when he didn't turn up. Aunt Pat had never been the most loving mother but Jane had not been prepared to lose her so suddenly. When she was young, Jane had adored her father and he had always spent a lot of time with her. But Aunt Pat's complaints about their lack of money had prompted him to join the mineral exploration company and after that Jane had barely seen her father.

I had to meet Dad's friend at 11 o'clock so Jane said she would use the time to catch up on her classes. I didn't expect to take too long at the flight school so thought I would be back by late afternoon. We planned to have lunch at the house and then go out.

* * *

Ken Sugarambe had started his flight school a couple of decades ago but was doing quite well for himself now. His flight school boasted twice the number of students that ours did, although ours was older and had a better reputation. I guess the Bennets were lousy at business although we excelled in flying.

I looked around the shiny building with awe as I followed the security guard to Ken's office.

"Elizabeth Bennet!" exclaimed Ken as he got up and greeted me with a kiss on my cheek.

"Ken, lovely to see you again."

"We are lucky that you decided to come to Ganymede for a visit – my students will be excited to have you teach a few classes. Especially the girls – so few women pilots for them to look up to."

"Well, I am glad to do what I can to encourage more girls to become pilots," I said with a laugh.

After I answered Ken's questions about Dad and the rest of the family, we discussed and agreed on the timing for the classes that I would take. He wanted me to take one theory and one sim class each day over the next four days. I agreed since the classes were both in the morning and I assumed Jane and her father would want to spend time together.

Ken was very generous with payment – he was paying a lot more per hour than I had expected. I guess he could afford to pay his staff well.

"Would you like to see the sim room and familiarize yourself with the sim programs before your class tomorrow?" he asked.

I thought about it.

"Actually, if I could have a half hour in your sim room now, that would be great. I'm not sure how early I can make it tomorrow and you probably have another class there before the one that I'm scheduled to teach."

"That makes sense. I'll call one of my team to take you there. He will give you your id on our system as well."

Ken made a quick call on his communicator and his employee appeared in another couple of minutes.

"Elizabeth, meet Chang. He will show you the sim room and answer any queries you have."

"Thanks Ken."

* * *

I hadn't taken too long in the sim room. The equipment was all new and sparkly but the programs were the same old ones since there hadn't been any new training programs developed over the last couple of years. Chang had answered all my questions about the school and the students and I was looking forward to teaching there.

Chang walked me back to the main reception, where I received a surprise – Jim Collins was standing there talking with Ken!

Collins saw me as soon as I entered and beamed at me. Ken turned around to see who he was smiling at and had an irritated expression on his face when he saw me.

"I knew we were fated to meet again," said Collins as he grabbed my hands.

"Er, you two know each other?" asked Ken watching me quickly take back my hands.

"We met in the shuttle coming here," I answered.

"But we have not been formally introduced," said Collins with an expectant look at Ken.

Ken seemed reluctant. "Jim Collins, meet Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth is the daughter of one of my old friend's and an amazing pilot."

"A pilot! Yes, I knew you would be different," said Collins.

I stared at him in bewilderment. Ken also seemed to feel awkward.

"Mr. Sugarambe and I were just about to go for lunch. Elizabeth must join us, must she not?" said Collins turning to Ken.

Ken mumbled assent and before I knew what was happening, I was in a hovercraft sitting next to Jim Collins, on our way to a restaurant. I sent Jane a message letting her know I wouldn't make it for lunch. I'd explain what happened when I saw her.

* * *

The restaurant was an old-style family run Italian place and the food was great. It almost compensated for having to listen to Collins ramble on about himself. He'd told me all about how he worked for Rosings Group, how lucky he had been to be hired right out of college, how he was fortunate enough to work directly for Lady Catherine (the owner - whom he thought was the most perfect being in the universe!) and he also told me more than I wanted to know about the advice Lady Catherine had given him on love and life.

While he went on about Lady Catherine, I contemplated the reason for his visit to Ken's flight school. It must be that Ken was hoping to get Rosings to invest in them, or perhaps they were already pumping funds into Ken's school; that would explain how he could afford to have the building renovated and new equipment. It also explained the uncomfortable expression he had when I had seen Collins – he was probably worried I would suggest that Collins recommend Rosings Group invest in the Bennet Flight School. Well, we Bennets like our independence and getting funds wouldn't compensate for having to see Collins.

I also recollected that Rosings Group was the holding company of Pemberley Insurers – I definitely didn't want anything to do with one of Darcy's family companies.

While I was absorbed in my thoughts, Ken had managed to get Collins' attention and divert him into talking about the real estate boom. Collins then proceeded to give us Lady Catherine's opinions on real estate.

Luckily for me, Ken and Collins had to get back to the flight school to discuss some more business, so I got them to drop me at the nearby tram stop. I pleaded a prior engagement at Collins' final attempt to ask me out for dinner and waved goodbye to them with relief.

* * *

Jane was amused to hear the story when I got back to the house.

"Yes indeed, Beth, you were fated to meet him again," she giggled.

"I know he is going to call me now that he knows my name. I need to be prepared with excuses," I sighed.

"Hmm … so Alicia invited me to come to this new club, Kate will be there as well. I thought we'd leave by 6, Alicia said she would pick us up."

Urgh, I really didn't want to go. Would it be awful of me to ask Jane to go alone?

Jane knew me well enough to read my expression.

"It's alright, Beth. You don't have to come."

"No, I'll come. I don't want to just sit in the house." I'd come to Ganymede to make sure that Jane had a good time and I meant to do that.

* * *

The club was hot with too many writhing bodies everywhere. I'd stuck to drinking coke – Jane could never hold her drink and I was suspicious of the strangely colored glowing drinks that seemed to be popular here.

I hoped I didn't stick out too much – women and men alike seemed to be dressed in shimmering, glittery clothes. I hadn't really bought along anything suitable and although Jane offered her dresses, they were too tight on me for comfort. I'd finally settled on a dark blue tank top and shiny black pants. Jane had insisted on livening up my outfit with a lot of bead necklaces.

I watched Jane dancing with Alicia and Kate. Apparently, both of them were also currently single and determined to stay that way for some time. I was just about to join them when I noticed a familiar face at the side.

I looked carefully – yes, I was right – it was Zach McNeely! What was he doing here? Had Jane seen him? Jane was still dancing unconcernedly. No, I decided, she hadn't spotted Zach.

He was staring at Jane with a forlorn expression. Then his face darkened and he gulped down the reminder of his drink. He started walking purposefully and I was about to go and warn him off Jane, when I realized he was going towards the exit. I watched to make sure that he left the club.

Huh, what was that all about? I puzzled over Zach's behavior for a few minutes before I saw the girls gesturing at me to join them on the dance floor. Well, I was just glad that Jane hadn't seen him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I woke up early the next morning and made some crepes for breakfast. They didn't look exactly like they were supposed to but they tasted great!

As I drank my coffee, I thought about seeing Zach yesterday – and the look he had given Jane. If he wanted to be with her, why didn't he call her?

Jane came into the kitchen, all bleary eyed.

"Oh Beth, my head!"

I grinned at her. "Well, I'm off to the flight school. You better have something to eat so that you look normal when your father gets here. I don't want Uncle Phillips thinking I'm a bad influence on you!"

* * *

I felt really good after I'd finished teaching both classes. It's great for an instructor's ego when students look thrilled to see you walk into the class; and even better to have students come up to you after class is over and ask more questions.

Before I left for Jane's house, I thought of meeting Ken and giving him an update on how the classes went, but I didn't want to see Collins again. So I found Chang and had a chat with him about the classes I'd taken that day.

* * *

Back at the house, I found that Uncle Phillips had arrived on time. He was in the living room talking with Jane when I entered. He was just like I remembered him - tall with slightly stooping shoulders, his hair too long and curling over his high forehead; his droopy eyes and sad smile made you think of a homeless puppy.

He looked up with a smile on seeing me.

"Elizabeth? It's been a long time since I've seen you. I remember you as a little girl – I think it must be ten years now."

"Yes, Uncle Phillips. We didn't meet on your last trip home. I hope you had a comfortable flight here."

"It was a pretty awful flight. I was on Charon and there are too many asteroid belts to pass through to get here. The pilot had to change course a few times. But we were lucky to have him – don't think anyone else would have been able to get us here so fast."

"Oh?" I was curious. "Who was your pilot?"

"Fitzwilliam. You must have heard of him – first person to pilot to the Yang system."

"Wow! Ross Fitzwilliam was your pilot! He's one of my heroes. Is he staying in Ganymede?"

"Nah, think he's already left. His destination was Earth; got an urgent package to take there. I was lucky he agreed to give me a ride. Not many flights from Charon."

"I would have liked to meet him," I said.

Jane smiled at her. "Maybe you'll get that opportunity sometime – I remember now that you used to have his picture on your screensaver."

"Jane!" I blushed in embarrassment. But she was right; he had been one of those pilots I'd idolized. It would have been fantastic to see him in person.

"So I was just going to serve lunch and after that we don't have any plans for the day. Dad is tired so I thought we'd have a quiet day at home."

"That suits me fine. I have some work to get done - Sumit sent over some tests for me to mark. I'll get started on them after lunch. What did you make? I'm feeling really hungry."

"Rice and a chicken curry."

"A curry? New recipe, huh?" I asked.

'Well, I'm starved for some home cooking," said Uncle Phillips. "Curry sounds good to me."

Jane grinned and went into the kitchen. I went to help her set the table.

The curry _was_ good and Uncle Phillips gave a satisfied smile after he'd finished eating.

"You girls don't know how lucky you are. I've been living on ration bars on Charon. Eating those things day after day – makes you wish we could survive without food."

"Poor Dad. I'm going to make sure you eat well now."

"It's going to be horrible when you go back though. The bars will taste even worse than before," I said.

Jane and Uncle Phillips looked at each other and he gave her a nod.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Dad had put in a request to be stationed at the company's Ganymede office … he gave the request after his last trip here about five years back. Since he hadn't heard anything from them, he thought that it was declined," she said.

"But the boss called me in last month to let me know that I'd been transferred here for the next five to six years," said Uncle Phillips.

"And Dad's asked me to move here to stay with him," said Jane looking at me.

"Oh," I said, rather deflated. I hadn't imagined that Jane would leave Titan. I would miss having her there.

"I'm going to transfer to Guttenberg University – I know a girl who did that last year so I'm assuming there won't be any problems. I'm going to miss being on Titan and especially being so near to you, but I will visit often and call every day so don't think you're going to be rid of me."

I got up to give Jane a hug. "I'll miss seeing you everyday but I think it's great that Uncle is going to be here for a while and that you'll get to stay with him."

"Don't worry, we'll both visit Titan every once in a while," Uncle Phillips reassured me.

I _was_ happy for Jane. Her mom was gone but she now had an opportunity to reconnect with her dad.

"What are you planning to do now? Will you come back to Titan with me this week?"

"Yes, I'll have to get things sorted out at the University and also give May notice that I won't be working at the diner any longer. I hope to be back here in a month," she said.

"That gives me time to get the house spruced up. It's been neglected for so long – definitely needs some work," said Uncle Phillips.

* * *

After helping Jane with the dishes, I went to my room to get started on marking the tests. I wanted to finish them quickly but I couldn't focus – I was upset that Jane would soon be leaving Titan. I'd only finished marking about a quarter of the tests when my communicator rang.

I had answered with a 'hello' before I looked at the caller – Jim Collins! I couldn't hang up now.

"Ms. Bennet, I hope you are well," he said.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you," I said in a stilted manner.

"I was hoping to meet you at the school today morning."

I wasn't sure what reply to make so I said nothing. The lack of response didn't seem to bother Collins.

"I am a firm believer in fate. When Lady Catherine suggested to me last month that it was time for me to think about settling down, I knew that I would get a sign that would show me the woman who would be the perfect one for me," he said.

What! I tried to think of a way to end this very strange conversation that seemed to be headed in a direction I was sure to dislike.

"When I saw you looking at me in the shuttle I knew that it was a sign. The blush you gave when you realized I had seen you gazing longingly at me - that was what decided me. You are a modest woman who is at the perfect age to enter into a committed relationship. At thirty-two I am at the right age for a man to think of marriage but a woman is of course ready at a much earlier age. She need not experience much of the world; her husband will be the only teacher she requires."

I was listening in shocked silence. What was he saying? And in which century was he living?

He continued his monologue. "Although we were interrupted when we were going to talk in the shuttle, I did not despair. I knew that if you were the one destined for me, we would meet again. And my belief was vindicated when you walked towards me at the flight school. Just think of it, Ms. Bennet, fate slowly nudging us towards each other until we finally meet and the moment of revelation hits us!"

I could take no more of this. "Mr. Collins, I am sorry if I gave you any other impression but I am not looking for a relationship right now." Definitely not with you, I added in my mind.

"My dear, I respect your modesty. I know you are overwhelmed at being singled out by me – but it is alright to show your feelings now. This is my last day in Ganymede so we will go out for dinner today and get to know each other. Tell me your address so that I can pick you up."

"Don't you understand what I am saying!" I said angrily. "I do not wish to know you better and I do not want a relationship with you!"

"Oh, I think one of your friends has been telling you to play hard-to-get. Ms. Bennet, there is no need to play such games with me. I am already interested in you."

"I'm not playing games! I do not like what I know of you and I do not wish to have any contact with you."

He was silent for a couple of seconds.

"I do not know who is advising you to behave like this. I must tell you that your current behavior is not attractive and it is making me reconsider my decision to court you."

What did I have to do to get through to this guy?

"Listen well, I am repeating what I said earlier – I am NOT interested in a relationship with you! Please do not contact me again." With that, I hung up before he could start speaking again. Crazy lunatic! I hoped that would the last I heard of him.

I put Jim Collins out of my mind and went back to my work.

* * *

The next couple of days went peacefully. I was busy with my classes in the mornings – very relieved that I didn't have to worry about bumping into Collins since I had confirmed with Ken that Collins had left for Earth. Ken didn't ask me why I was enquiring after Collins but he gave a little smile and said that Collins was a weird guy.

Uncle Phillips, Jane and I did some touristy stuff in the evenings. He said that it had been so long since he'd been at Ganymede that the place looked completely different. Uncle Phillips and Jane had also been busy with planning the renovations to the house. While I was at the school in the morning, they were busy speaking with contractors and getting quotes from suppliers.

The last day at the school went well. I said goodbye to my students and was pleased to have them cluster around me at the end of the class, telling me how much they had enjoyed my teaching. After making my farewells to Ken and Chang, I headed back home.

"Hey Beth!" said Jane when I walked inside the house. "Alicia and Kate insisted we go out with them tonight – another new club they want to visit."

"That sounds good. For a change, I'm actually in the mood to go out and dance!" I said with a smile.

"Great! I'll let her know. Dad's going out to meet an old friend so we can stay out as late as we like – I don't have to worry that he is at home waiting up for us."

* * *

I'd been disappointed when Carolynn turned out to be part of our group but decided to ignore her. The club was great – it was themed after a movie that had been a hit last year about World War III - with war memorabilia throughout and every other song was an old number from that time.

The thought that Zach might also be at the club had occurred to me but I decided that we'd deal with that situation if and when it happened. Jane hadn't mentioned Zach's name even once in the last few days but I'd noticed the sad look that came over her face when she saw Carolynn. She would have assumed Carolynn had told her brother about Jane being in Ganymede, and that Zach had opted not to contact her. I was positive that Carolynn hadn't mentioned Jane's presence to her brother but I also knew that Zach had seen Jane at the club last time. It had been obvious to me that he cared about her and the separation was taking its toll on him too. I felt that with Jane moving to Ganymede they were going to bump into each other eventually.

We had a lot of fun at the club and fortunately there were no Zach McNeely sightings. I felt a bit sad when I thought of Jane moving and that we wouldn't be going clubbing in Titan together any more.

We were sitting at the table having some drinks and Jane noticed my crestfallen expression. "What's the matter? Are you not feeling well?"

I realized that Alicia and Kate were also looking at me, worriedly.

"No, no," I said. "Just remembered that you'd be moving here and I wouldn't have anyone to go clubbing with."

"Oh, you silly girl!" said Jane with a hug. "I'm going to be visiting really often."

"And we hope you will be coming here too!" said Alicia with a cheerful grin.

Carolynn looked surprised. "Are you moving to Ganymede, Jane?"

Jane explained how her father had been reassigned and that she would be transferring to the University here.

Carolynn didn't look very pleased. "I see. Well, I'm sure you'll prefer living in Ganymede – Titan is rather shady."

I bristled at that and would have said something but Jane kicked my foot and gave me a look pleading for silence, so I went back to pretending that Carolynn didn't exist.

* * *

We were taking the late afternoon shuttle back to Titan so we woke up late, tired after our night on the town.

I had just finished packing my bags when Dad called on my communicator.

"Hi Dad! It's nice to hear from you but is something wrong? I'll be back tonight, you know."

"Hello Beth. Yes, we do have a little problem with the insurance."

"The RS-567? I thought everything was fine."

"Well, I was just so thankful that the claim was approved that I didn't pay attention to the fine print. The repair cost has exceeded the amount that Darcy had signed off on."

"So what can we do?"

"I've contacted George Alkhally and discussed the issue with him. We need to raise another request and provide all the details about the repair work being done. George doesn't feel that it will be an issue getting it approved but it will take time for them to get an assessor on it. This is a problem because we have to pay quite a bit for the ship just to be stored in the repair hangar."

"Isn't there anything at all that you can do to speed up the processing?"

'Yes, there is one thing we could do. You could go down to Earth and request a meeting with Darcy. If he re-opens the case, it can get processed quickly."

I was speechless for a minute. Meet Darcy again! I really didn't want to see him again. Or maybe the problem was that I did want to see him.

"Beth?"

"I was just thinking. Do you think that I need to go all the way there just to talk to Darcy? Can't I just call and speak with him?"

"I don't think we will be able to get him to come here quickly and you know that he won't approve the increased amount without reviewing all records."

"I understand."

"There's another thing as well," said Dad.

"What is it?"

"You've only made one solo long distance flight and I think now that all your certifications are done you need to focus on getting more long distance flight-time."

"Dad! You mean you're going to let me fly one of our ships to Earth?" I screeched in excitement.

"I thought that'd convince you," Dad laughed. "Yes, I've looked at the schedules and freed Kel to be your co-pilot. The 'Spider' hasn't been taken for a long ride in a while and you've flown her quite a lot so I think you'd be comfortable taking her."

"That's great Dad!"

"I just wanted to let you know so that you can get started on the reports as soon as you're back home. I want you to go within the next few days. I've already sent the 'Spider' for service and asked Annelle to get the rations and other supplies ready for your trip. So you just need to check everything when you are back."

"Thanks Dad, that'll make things move faster."

"Ok, Beth. I'll see you later today – I'll be there at the shuttle stop to get you girls. Bye."

"Bye Dad."

I was very excited about flying the 'Spider' to Earth. I'd been Dad's co-pilot on a couple of trips there but this would be the first time I was in-charge! Even the thought of seeing Darcy again couldn't get me down.

I rushed to tell Jane the news.

* * *

We'd make our goodbyes to Uncle Phillips and were on our way to the shuttle. The late afternoon train was more crowded that I liked but we were lucky to get two seats in the back corner. After my experience on the trip down here I'd learnt not to stare at my fellow passengers, so when Jane dozed off I watched a movie.

The trip back home was uneventful. We got out of the shuttle and found my Dad waiting for us outside the shuttle station in one of the hover-crafts. He enquired after his brother-in-law and was glad to hear about his decision to stay in Ganymede for a while.

We dropped Jane at her place and then drove to the school. Dad filled me in on all the arrangements already done for my trip to Earth on the Spider. I would have to get the engineering check done on the ship and ensure the supplies were loaded. Then I would get down to packing my personal belongings and preparing the documents we were taking for Darcy. Dad had already made an appointment for me to meet Darcy as soon as I arrived on Earth. He'd also arranged with George Alkhally for us to stay at the Pemberley guest house. I'd have preferred to stay in a hotel but apparently the Pemberly head office was rather far from any town and I didn't have any other option.

It would take three days to get there with a short refueling stop mid-way. My mind was racing with thoughts about the flight. When I got to the school, I found Kel waiting for me. Dad grinned to see the excited looks on our faces and left us discussing the fly-route on our way to the hangar to check the Spider. Kel was as excited as I was – he'd only done shorter distances so this was a great opportunity for him as well.

While we assisted one of the engineers with the checks on the Spider, I found my mind wandering slightly; I couldn't help remembering the dreams that I had as a young teen. I'd always wanted to be a fighter pilot like in the science fiction books I read and it hadn't seemed far–fetched at the time to expect that our country would have a 'space army 'of sorts in another few years. However, life hadn't imitated art so far and the only opportunity a pilot who wanted to fly in space had was to join one of the transport companies and fly either shuttle or cargo ships; or he could join one of the exploration companies but that was something Dad was unlikely to allow me to do due to the risk. We hadn't ventured far outside our star system, or even colonized all of our star system. No intelligent life forms had been found in any of the planets or moons that we had visited so there was no need for any of the countries on Earth to spend vast amounts on space defense. The space colonies were controlled by the countries that financed them and there was no dissatisfaction among the people. Even regular military spending had reduced.

Well, I could always hope that in another couple of decades things would change; although I didn't want war, I hoped that a military space force would be deemed necessary. I'd still be young enough to be a fighter pilot. I grinned at the thought before Kel claimed my attention and I focused again on the Spider.

Since Dad had already had the ship serviced, there were no problems and the ship was cleared for travel by the engineer by late evening. Kel and I were tired and decided to meet up tomorrow to finalize the route. Once the route was approved, it would take a day or two to get the clearances from all the regulating agencies. Unless there was a conflict which necessitated adjustment in the route and re-applying, we could plan to leave in three days.

Dad wanted the insurance issue cleared as soon as possible and was confident that I would not have an issue piloting the ship, so he approved us leaving in three days pending non-revision of the flight route. We made plans accordingly. I did have some of the students come and complain that I hadn't taught them for ages but I have to admit I was too excited about the trip to feel particularly guilty. I had a hunch that I'd be doing a lot more travel this year than I expected.


End file.
